TUSCALOOSA _ If it wasn't bad enough that he missed most of the 2009 season, imagine what it was like for University of Alabama defensive end Damion Square to be on the sideline during the national championship game against Texas.

Square hails from Houston.

"But I was still a part of the national championship team, so that kept my spirits up," Square said Tuesday in his first interview since the going down late in the game against Florida International. He revealed that not only did he tear his ACL, but meniscus as well.

"I came off the tight end and was coming to rush the tackle," he said. "It was just a bad step, a quick second. All you can remember is lying on the ground looking up at the stars, 'What's wrong?' There was contract, not that much."

While linebacker Dont'a Hightower's comeback after blowing out his knee two weeks later against Arkansas has been nothing short of remarkable, Square's return this spring isn't far behind. While it's still sore, he hasn't missed a practice.

"Just trying to get stability back and trust," he said were the most difficult things. "A friend of mine said at the start of rehab it's just getting trust in your mind that you can go 100 percent."

For Square that didn't happen until right before spring ball. He even surprised himself a little and is already lining up with the first unit in pass-rushing situations alongside Hightower.

"Any time you have an injury from it's tough to recover," quarterback Greg McElroy said. "You're constantly planting your leg and getting the speed rusher off the edge.

"I'd rather see a lock-down corner than a defensive end with a tremendous motor. A guy with a great motor can inflict a lot of pain on quarterbacks."

Still, he's looking forward to playing before fans again Saturday at A-Day.

"It's going be a big game for me," Square said. "It's going to be exciting. I miss it a lot."